Foot rail



scpL 1,1925.' l1,552,163

- R. HUFF FOOT BAIL Filed NOV. 21, 1922 INVENTOR1 ATTORNEYS APatented Sept. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,552,163 PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL HUFF, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MES-NE ASSIGNMENTS, TO DODGE BROTHERS, INC., A COBIOBATION OF MARYLAND.'.

FOOT RAIL; r'

Application tiled November 21, 1922. Serial No. 602,407.

To all whom t may concern: I

Be it kno-wn that I, RUSSELL Herr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Foot Rails, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to rails such as are provided in automobiles and other ve--j struction and 'the carrying arms 4 for this hicles, particularly for supporting and bracing the feet, and has for its general object to provide a rail construction which may quickly and easily be moved out of the way when it is desired to use the floor orother surface upon which the rail is carried for other purposes.

In the co-pending application of Frederick J. Haynes, Serial No. 581,298 filed August 12, 1922, is disclosed an automobile body construction in which various parts of the interior equipment of the body are removable to permit the vehicle to be used for carrying boxes and packages of goods. It will be obvious that in addition to moving the rear seat and interior fittings of the car along the sides, it is also desirable that the foot rail be moved out of the way so as to provide a smooth iioor surf-ace upon which the goods may be piled. A particular object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a foot-rail construction which will permit a quick and easy removal of all parts of the foot-rail and support which project above the floor surface or the movement of these parts into positions in which there is no projection above the floor surface.

The invention is herein illustrated and described with particular reference to its application to foot-rails which are mounted to swing between two supporting positions, and in many of its aspects the invention relates particularly to this type of foot-rail. It will be understood, however, that the invention is applicable also to other types of foot-rails and to rails having other supporting functions.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is is a detail side elevation of a portion of a closed car body showing the usual position of the foot-rail on the iioor of such a body.

Fig. 2 is a broken plan view of the footrail and its supporting parts embodying the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one end of the foot-rail and its supporting parts; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig- 3 looking in the direction of the arrows on Fig 3; and i Fig. 5 is a sectional detail 'showing 'the construction and arrangement of the, supporting pivot and its slotted bearing- The rail 2 of the illustrated foot-rail con-- rail are of substantially the usual construction heretofore employed. The brackets to which the arms 4 are pivotally connected to permit the rail 2 and the arms 4 to swing from the illustrated position in which the edges 6 of the arms rest upon the floor to the position in which the edges 8 rest upon the floor are, however, of different construction from those heretofore employed. The illustrated brackets comprise base portions 10 attached to the Hoor 12 of the vehicle body and preferably so set into the floor that their upper surfaces are normally substantially flush with the surface of the ioor. The upright portions 14 of the supporting brackets are hinged to the bases 10, as shown at 16, and the floor is preferably so recessed that when the arms 4 are disconnected from the upright portions 14 of the brackets, these portions l4may be swung on their hinges into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, being received in the recess 18 in the floor. Finger holes 20- are preferably provided to permit the ready lifting of the parts 14 of the bracket-s back into their supporting positions.

The pivotal connection between the arms 4 and the upright portions 14 of the supporting brackets is preferably such that at an intermediate point between the two footsupporting positions of the rail 2 the parts may be separated by simply lifting up on the rail 2. As herein shown, the pivotal connection between the arms 4 and the upright portions 14 of the brackets comprises rivets 22 headed at each end but so flattened in cross-section as shown in Fig. 5 that when the arms 4 are substantially vertical, the narrow i floor or other surface as hereinabove de-V scribed, thus leaving the floor or other suryface free from all obstructions.

That I claim as new is l. In a foot-rail construction orautomobiles and the like, in combination a rail and a support for said rail. comprising brackets permittingV the bodily swinging of said rail into differentsupporting positions, said rail being removable from said brackets in one orp its intermediate positions and said brackets being movable into a flat position when said rail is removed therefrom.

2. In a foot-rail construction for automobiles and the like,the combination With a rail and its carrying arms, of pivotal supports for said arms, the connection between each arm and its support comprising a bearing,` on one and a pivot carried by the other, and a slot thro-ugh which said pivot may be removed from said bearing.

- 3. In a foot-rail construction for automobilesy and thel like, the combination with a rail and its carrying arms, of supports in Which said arms are pivota-lly and removably carried, said supports being constructed and arranged to bemoved intoa position to leave substantially vno projection above the surface to Which they are attached when said arms are removed.

4. In a foot-rail construction for automobiles and the like, the combination with a rail and its carrying arms, of brackets by Which said arms are pivotally and removably supported, said brackets each comprisingv hinged members adapted to swing into a flat position When the foot-rail and its carrying arms are removed, the support ing surface for said bracketsbeing Yrecessed to permit said movable members foff said brackets to swing into a position flush With said surface.

Signed at Detroit, Michigan, this 16th day of November, 1922.

RUSSELL jHUFF. 

